Mac Jones has picked up a couple of nicknames since being taken by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. But there’s apparently one nickname that he’s held onto since high school.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Jones revealed that while he was at The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida, he was given the nickname “Sunshine” by his offensive line coach. The nickname was a reference to the fair-haired Ronnie “Sunshine” Bass from the movie Remember the Titans.
“Sunshine,” who was portrayed by Kip Pardue in the iconic football film, was based on the actual quarterback from the 1971 T.C. Williams High School national championship team. Though Bass has publicly stated that the movie took some extra creative liberties with his real life.
Jones said that the same coach who gave him the nickname also taught him a valuable life lesson: “You’ll never go broke if you make a profit.”
Mac Jones may not have won a national title in high school like his nicknamesake did, but he’s more than made up for it with two college football national titles, a record-setting career at Alabama and an historic rookie season for the New England Patriots.
“Sunshine” still beats “Mac and Cheese” though.